


And Then HE Came Along

by secondstringheroine



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, どうぶつの森 | Animal Crossing Series
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Other, Short & Sweet, Trans Female Character, Trans!Sonic, trans!mabel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25990081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondstringheroine/pseuds/secondstringheroine
Summary: It should have been an ordinary day for Mabel, living a contented life on a quiet island - but then that Egg-guy had to show up!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	And Then HE Came Along

The life was quiet all around, not like the Green Hills where she grew up. All the critters there were busy, busy, busy, always getting into some kind of trouble - which was fine when she was young and had the energy to chase them around. Not so much anymore.

Things had changed since then, some more than others. The hedgehog looked down at what used to be a runner’s physique. Some things had changed  _ a lot _ .

Now Mabel was making the most of the simple life, running a shop with her sister (okay, ‘adopted’ sister, sort of), and bringing fashion to the residents of the island. What more could a girl ask for?

It was a sunny spring morning, and a new line of fabrics had arrived. Sable was already brimming with ideas for superhero costumes, period dresses, hunting attire, and so much more. She couldn’t wait to get behind a sewing machine and bring their designs to life!

Mabel, however, had stolen a moment to stand by the window and daydream with cocoa in hand. She loved the island and the people on it more than she could say. This was the life she’d always wanted, but never knew existed; not until she stopped.

To think, she’d spent all that time running when the only thing chasing her was  _ herself _ .

A soft bell rang over the island’s PA system. It was time for the morning announcements.

“Good morning, everyone.”

The voice belonged to Isabelle, one of the Town Hall administrators working for Nook, Inc. Her gentle tone prompted a smile from Mabel. The pup’s sense of routine was a comfort, not just for her, but the entire community.

Mabel sipped her cocoa. Sable was already at her work station.

“The time now on the island is nine am on Monday, October fifth, 2020. There are no announcements today, but I did think my mower was haunted. I accidentally put boo-thane in the gas tank.

“As a side note, the island is currently under siege by killer robots. Be careful out there, and make sure your Nook Inc. insurance forms are notarised and up to date.”

The sisters turned to each other, wide eyed.

“Did she just say what I think she said?” Mabel asked. She was already miffed.

Sable said nothing, but slipped from her chair and wandered into a back room. She returned wordlessly, setting down a small suitcase on one of the counters. Under the lid were a pair of bright red hi-top sneaker sneakers and white gloves.

The hedgehog was beside herself. “You kept them!?”

“Just in case,” Sable muttered, fearing she’d done something wrong.

She hadn’t. It was the day Mabel always feared; when her past would come to upturn her happy little life. For that she had to be prepared.

Slipping into her old shoes and putting away her apron, Mabel steeled her nerve and set out to face the music.

* * * *

The air was abuzz with metal hornets and beetles crawling over every inch of the town. Blathers might have thought them fascinating specimens were they not pinching at his tail feathers.

Lording over them was an egg-shaped man in an egg-shaped vessel whose head was smooth like a... bowling ball. He laughed like a maniac trying to force a massive number of eggs into his mouth, and his name was DR. EGGMAN! 

“Run, pitiful worms! Run while you can! There is no escaping your fate! Soon you will serve in my robot army, here at the heart of my new island base!”

It wasn’t difficult to sew chaos in a small island community. Most days all it took was Timmy and Tommy running a sale at Nook’s Cranny. Killer robots were just...  _ eggs-essive _ . (These are the jokes, folks.)

Displacing and enslaving the inhabitants of a small island should have the easiest thing in the world. They were just animals, after all. What did they know about overthrowing megalomaniacs?

Unfortunately for Dr. Eggman, he’d stumbled into Mabel’s corner of the world.

“What in the heck are YOU doing here!?”

The villain stopped. He knew that voice, didn’t he? The pitch was different, higher, but the sheer obnoxious tone could never be mistaken.

He turned to find a blue hedgehog, but not the blue hedgehog he was expecting. The hedgehog he knew was leaner, didn’t wear blush, had pointed ears and wore goggles - not to mention that she... he... 

The sneakers, however, were a dead giveaway. As they say, ‘if the shoe fits...'

“Is that you, S-”

“Mabel,” barked the hedgehog. “My name is Mabel! And you shouldn’t be here!”

The mad scientist grinned. “You’ve changed.”

“You haven’t,” the hedgehog said, and tore into the dirt at top speed.

She wasn’t as fast as she used to be, but she was fast enough; curling into a ball and ricocheting between machines at the speed of sound. It was just like old times, with metal frames bursting like pinatas.

Dr. Eggman watched with abject horror. Years of invention, trashed in seconds! Just when he thought he was rid of that blasted hedgehog!

If he couldn’t have the island, at least he could have his veng... “Oh, no.”

Mabel huffed with a fury that should have turned her spikes red. It wasn’t like her to lose her temper, but coming to her island, and trapping her friends? That was crossing the line.

“Get off my island!” she squeaked.

In a whirlwind of motion she circled the island, running like she hadn’t since she was a kid, and launched into a ball. The impact struck the Eggman so hard that he, his craft, and a slew of his minions flew across the sea and toward an all new horizon.

Mabel composed herself and brushed the dirt off her arms. She used to love running, back when she had a reason to. Now it only reminded her of someone she wanted to leave behind.

The villagers gathered. Isabelle, Tom Nook, Kick, Lief and more were agape at the sight. Mabel, that lovely girl from the dress shop, was...

Sable pressed through the group to comfort her sister, just like she had so many times before; just like she had before they opened shop. She was Mabel’s hero once, hedging her bets on their new life together, and never hogging the glory.

“I’m sorry,” Mabel said. “I came here to start a new leaf, but..."

The villagers, however, weren’t interested in apologies. Not when there was all this neat stuff laying around!

Tom Nook stroked his chin. “This is going to take a lot of work, but with some elbow grease and know-how, we’ll have this place looking better than ever!” He beamed and waved his racoon tail. “Look at all this scrap metal! So many resources!”

Octavian grabbed a shining hub cap in his tentacles and considered its shape. “This looks kind of like a UFO,” he thought out loud. “It’d look great in my house!”

Audie, a very fashionable wolf with a fox’s coloring, considered the weight of some loose metal rods. “These might be useful for working out,” she chirped. “Hey, Mabel! Could you help me work out a jogging regimen?”

Wherever they looked, animals were making the most of the situation, picking through the wreckage for items, and offering them to others who might find them useful. In that way the community was the same as it ever was.

Isabelle, the town hall administrator, bounced up to the sisters, her tail wagging with glee.

“The past doesn’t matter,” she said. “You’re Able to be yourself here!”

The hedgehogs giggled. This was their island. This was their home.

**End**


End file.
